A car bomb attack has killed 11 people and wounded several dozen in eastern Afghanistan.

The provincial government of Nangarhar Province said in a statement late on May 10 that a militant detonated a car bomb near the house of Malik Dehqan, a pro-government tribal leader, in Nazyan district at around 5 a.m. local time.

The statement added that Dehqan, who also leads an anti-Taliban militia group, was among the 23 people injured in the blast.

"The tribal elder Malik Dehqan encourages people to join the uprising forces against Islamic State militants and Taliban in the area," said Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial government.

The government is equipping hundreds of the province's residents with weapons and basic training to oppose the extremist groups.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.

The border areas of Nangarhar have seen heavy fighting in recent months, with militant groups battling each other and government forces.

The Taliban is active in the province, which also faces an emerging threat from loyalists of the Islamic State extremist group.